Queenstown Airport is moving into an exciting new development phase with construction starting on its new international terminal, a project which will expand the current building footprint by a third in time for next winter.

Driven by strong year-on-year international passenger growth, the 4,080sqm addition to the southern end of the terminal will double the size of the airport’s international operations, allowing it to better cater for existing passenger volumes and accommodate future growth.

The new building has been designed to blend in with the wider terminal but while the outer shell will be completed by June 2015, the interior will be developed in three stages.

Stage One will be ready for next winter with new international arrival and departure lounges, a new Customs area, airside retail stores, baggage claim and handling areas, a covered walkway, and office space. The changes will allow the airport to process up to 1,000 passengers per hour compared to the current 480.

Stage Two will involve spatial reconfiguration to simplify passenger flows between Customs, baggage reclaim and the Ministry of Primary Industries’ biosecurity area, as well as housing extra staff facilities.

While Stage Three is predicted to be several years away, it will centre around developing a mezzanine floor, potentially for more gate lounges and retail space.

Queenstown Airport Corporation (QAC) Chief Executive Scott Paterson said that more space was needed to meet the surging international demand so it made sense to be able to build a larger building shell and have time and flexibility to develop within it.

“The pop-up structure we installed this winter worked really well and gave us more space for international passengers but we need permanent terminal capacity.

“Our airlines are supportive of the scale of the new build which will give us the flexibility to move into the space when triggered by demand,” he said.

The new terminal has been designed by John Rogers of CCM Architects, who has been the lead architect for the airport’s terminal expansions since 2004. It is being built by Cook Brothers Construction and project managed by RCP.

Construction noise is not anticipated to be an issue and works will adhere at all times to the relevant New Zealand Standard for construction noise.

The terminal expansion is the latest in a series of developments around Queenstown Airport. Other new offerings in the past twelve months have included retail stores and cafés, a second airline lounge and a mini corporate jet terminal.